Well, actually not wearing a collar and leash is more natural for a dog! This becomes immediately obvious when we think about the fact that dogs are not born with collars and few other species of animals, even domesticated, routinely wear collars.
I started thinking about this when I took the puppies with mom for a real walk in a huge, harvested wheat field, off-leash of course. This worked fine because there was nobody else around and no traffic nearby. I did have Dancer, the mom, on a collar and leash because I knew that the puppies would follow her and if she decided to take off at over 35 mph... well, I did not want to have the puppies spread out all over the field, even if they would not get lost.
Of course I don't doubt the need that most people have to use a collar and leash for their dogs at least occasionally and in most cases fairly regularly. The exception would be someone who owns many acres of land or has access to lots of land.
Unfortunately collars and leashes in all their varieties can do a lot of damage to dogs, in particular to dogs as thin-skinned and fast as a whippet. Generally speaking the thinner the collar the harsher it is on the dog's neck when someone pulls on it. This does not even take into account collars that are intended to cause discomfort or pain when pulled on like prong collars or choke collars or activated like shock collars.
But even a standard buckle collar can cause severe damage to the dog's neck, in particular if used with an extendable leash or long line that lets the dog build up significant speed by the time it hits the line.
Given that there are leash laws and too much traffic in most locations puppies need to learn to accept the restraint of a leash. The best options for young puppies are in my opinion either a piece of soft cloth tied around their neck, a simple buckle collar that's as wide as possible (I like at least 1 1/2 inches for whippet puppies) or a harness with very wide straps that does not interfere with movement of the front legs, all for short periods of time and without a leash attached. This should be done one on one without other puppies around that might tug on the collar and give the puppy a bad experience and it should always be supervised. It should also be done in a fenced-in area without other dogs or pets. Most puppies will scratch a little because of the new sensation but quickly ignore the collar. Only once the puppy is completely comfortable with the collar or harness can we try to attach a short (4-6 feet) light-weight leash and then let the puppy lead US around for a while. They will still experience the sensation of a pull on the collar sometimes when we don't keep up fast enough but it should be a fairly gentle pull. It helps to encourage the puppy to move a little with the help of food, toys/play or touch.
Once puppies are very comfortable with both a collar and leash and show no fear or resentment we can start using the leash as a restraint. The idea is not to ever pull the puppy toward us (as this would teach them negative associations with coming closer to us and is unnecessary discomfort) but only to limit forward movement by stopping. Most puppies will learn quickly that they can't go any further, but a few will start to struggle at the restraint. This is a sign that we have moved past their fear threshold and it's time to back off by removing the leash quickly and distracting the puppy. We want walking on a leash to be a positive experience for the puppy, not a fearful one. There is no reason to be in a hurry about leash training but much to gain by being patient, like in all areas of animal training. If approached gently and slowly, wearing a collar or harness out of a soft, comfortable material can even be soothing to a dog, much like wearing a blanket or scarf would be. Given the fact that whippets love soft surfaces why not give them an extra-wide harness or collar that feels good against their short-haired skin. There are some great models out there that even have sheep-skin or deer leather lining. Just don't let your whippet eat them for breakfast.
I started thinking about this when I took the puppies with mom for a real walk in a huge, harvested wheat field, off-leash of course. This worked fine because there was nobody else around and no traffic nearby. I did have Dancer, the mom, on a collar and leash because I knew that the puppies would follow her and if she decided to take off at over 35 mph... well, I did not want to have the puppies spread out all over the field, even if they would not get lost.
Of course I don't doubt the need that most people have to use a collar and leash for their dogs at least occasionally and in most cases fairly regularly. The exception would be someone who owns many acres of land or has access to lots of land.
Unfortunately collars and leashes in all their varieties can do a lot of damage to dogs, in particular to dogs as thin-skinned and fast as a whippet. Generally speaking the thinner the collar the harsher it is on the dog's neck when someone pulls on it. This does not even take into account collars that are intended to cause discomfort or pain when pulled on like prong collars or choke collars or activated like shock collars.
But even a standard buckle collar can cause severe damage to the dog's neck, in particular if used with an extendable leash or long line that lets the dog build up significant speed by the time it hits the line.
Given that there are leash laws and too much traffic in most locations puppies need to learn to accept the restraint of a leash. The best options for young puppies are in my opinion either a piece of soft cloth tied around their neck, a simple buckle collar that's as wide as possible (I like at least 1 1/2 inches for whippet puppies) or a harness with very wide straps that does not interfere with movement of the front legs, all for short periods of time and without a leash attached. This should be done one on one without other puppies around that might tug on the collar and give the puppy a bad experience and it should always be supervised. It should also be done in a fenced-in area without other dogs or pets. Most puppies will scratch a little because of the new sensation but quickly ignore the collar. Only once the puppy is completely comfortable with the collar or harness can we try to attach a short (4-6 feet) light-weight leash and then let the puppy lead US around for a while. They will still experience the sensation of a pull on the collar sometimes when we don't keep up fast enough but it should be a fairly gentle pull. It helps to encourage the puppy to move a little with the help of food, toys/play or touch.
Once puppies are very comfortable with both a collar and leash and show no fear or resentment we can start using the leash as a restraint. The idea is not to ever pull the puppy toward us (as this would teach them negative associations with coming closer to us and is unnecessary discomfort) but only to limit forward movement by stopping. Most puppies will learn quickly that they can't go any further, but a few will start to struggle at the restraint. This is a sign that we have moved past their fear threshold and it's time to back off by removing the leash quickly and distracting the puppy. We want walking on a leash to be a positive experience for the puppy, not a fearful one. There is no reason to be in a hurry about leash training but much to gain by being patient, like in all areas of animal training. If approached gently and slowly, wearing a collar or harness out of a soft, comfortable material can even be soothing to a dog, much like wearing a blanket or scarf would be. Given the fact that whippets love soft surfaces why not give them an extra-wide harness or collar that feels good against their short-haired skin. There are some great models out there that even have sheep-skin or deer leather lining. Just don't let your whippet eat them for breakfast.